FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 27, 2000
Contact: Jan Passama, (510) 670-4225
Resource: Sheila Jordan, (510) 670-4140
Note:You will be asked to sign a Media Consent form prior to your participation in this activity. You are welcome to request the form in advance or you may complete it the day of the activity. If you would like to receive a form in advance, please call Linda Henderson at 510/670-4150.
Open House: High-Tech Job Training For Students In County Juvenile Court Facility
(SAN LEANDRO) The Cisco Computer Academy operating at the Wilmont Sweeney Education Center invites the public to an Open House on Wednesday, February 9, 2000, 9:00–10:00 a.m. The Center is located at 2300 Fairmont Dr., San Leandro.
This Cisco Computer Academy program is unique in that it is the only County Juvenile Court facility in northern California that provides high-tech job training to its students.
Open House visitors will meet the staff and watch students demonstrate the computer-based learning materials they study, including the design, building, and maintenance of networks essential to Internet access.
Officials at the event will be Sylvia Johnson, Chief Probation Officer; Sheila Jordan, County Superintendent of Schools; and Marty Price, Principal, Wilmont Sweeney Education Center.
The Cisco Academy is a partnership between Cisco Systems and the County Office of Education that prepares students for a well-paying career in Silicon Valley. The Cisco Academy also trains teachers to provide the high-tech computer-networking program for their students.
Graduates of the Cisco Academy can make $35,000 to $50,000 annually, and experienced production people can move up the career ladder to become highly paid administrators.
"Thousands of workers are needed by high-tech firms such as Cisco and Microsoft," said Jordan. "Our students, even though they are in the juvenile court system, can complete the training and the court commitment and go on to have a real future as a successful and contributing member of their community."
Jordan is committed to technology in education, and to meeting the needs of all students. "We serve the most at-risk students in the county. I am committed to all of our students and to innovative programs that bring relevance to education by linking the classroom to the workplace, particularly the high tech environment where opportunity awaits those who are prepared."
Tony Aweeka, an Academy teacher, is enthusiastic about the opportunities for Cisco Academy graduates and looks forward to "enhancing the program by expanding hands-on networking training."
To enroll in the class, a student must have completed his/her GED or have a plan established for completion. The program is entirely voluntary and the students may continue the program once they are officially released from the facility.
The Academy opened its doors to the first of two classes of ten students in September 1999, a second began in November, and additional sessions are slated to begin soon.
The Alameda County Office of Education operates numerous Cisco Academy sites in K-12 county schools, in partnership with Cisco Systems and district offices. The County Office also operates an Academy at its West Winton Avenue building, where it trains both teachers and students.
For further information, contact Jan Passama, ACOE, Community/Media & Legal Liaison, (510)-670-4225.
Alameda
County Office of Education
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URL: http://alameda-coe.k12.ca.us